In Memory : Louise Young

My great-grandmother, Louise Young, passed away on Wednesday morning. She was 97. Surviving her are five children, 19 grandchildren and even more great-grandchildren. She survived at least four major hurricanes, most recently returning to her little New Orleans cottage after the devastation of hurricane Katrina.

Grandmother Young loved to be surrounded by her family. For her 85th birthday she asked for a dinner (7 courses in traditional French presentation) with all of her family there. Whenever we came to visit from Colorado, she would cook miniature pecan pies for each of her great-grandchildren.

Perhaps her most influential impact on me was her love of art. She was a member of the New Orleans Museum of Art and always took her great-grandchildren when they visited. I saw original works of Picasso, Van Gogh and Monet and grew to appreciate the impact of creativity and the historical and cultural relevance of art.

It's difficult to be on the other side of the world when family events happen. I have gotten used to missing holidays, but this year I have missed my Grandparents (Duward and Vivian Vernon) 60th wedding anniversary and the passing of Grandmother Young.
I would not trade my life or go back, but every good thing has its cost.

So, to all my family at home and abroad, my heart is with you and I love you all.

Tags:

• family

YaWho?

O.K. so the title is nondescript and overly cutesy, but I'm afraid this is the question our children (or if not, our grandchildren) will be asking us when we begin to reminisce about the Web2.0 days.

Yahoo has done some good things lately. Flickr! is, still, a spectacular and innovative site. The new Yahoo! Mail (beta) is the best application for internet mail available. But these good things aren't enough.

There are 1.65 billion reasons that Yahoo is finished: DealBook - Google to Buy YouTube for $1.65 Billion in Stock - New York Times

The Internet search giant Google said Monday that it would buy YouTube, a video-sharing Web site that officially began operating less than a year ago, for $1.65 billion in stock. Both companies have approved the transaction, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2006, Google said.

Google already had a video service which was in some ways superior to YouTube (higher video quality, better parental controls) but it has failed to gain a significant market presence. In the wings Yahoo has been developing a "Flickr! of Video" to try to compete with the popularity of YouTube. Google saw this and they moved in purchasing YouTube.

This is a new strategy for Google, who to this point has only made small acquisitions which complement its products. The strategy of: "if you can't beat 'em, buy 'em" is not unfamiliar in the cutthroat computer industry, but it is the first time Google has played this little game. Goodbye Microsoft, there's a new bully in town.

As for Yahoo? Well unless something drastic happens..
Think Excite.
Think Infoseek.
Think Lycos.
Yahoo will join the ranks of these once famous names. It might take 10 more years, but Google has just put the writing is on the wall.

Tags:

• web2.0
• tech
• software

Voices of the church :: Rick Warren

Certainly you have all heard of Purpose Driven Life author Rick Warren. Whatever your take on the book, it's hard to deny that the phenomenon that swept through American churches a couple of years ago was a blessing to the body of Christ.
It brought people into the church.
It built community within the church.
It was a specific challenge to many individual lives by addressing the question "What are you living for?"

When our life purpose is in perspective, our global perspective is also aligned. Rick and his wife Kay wrote an article about the five giant problems facing the world today addressing this global worldview. A few years ago I would have written half of these off with glib remarks or even misused spiritual cliches because I would have been made uncomfortable and overwhelmed by the problems in the world. But good pastors (and good missionaries) challenge us in our comfort zones... so here is his list of giant problems that the church cannot ignore:

The Global Giants facing our World

1. The first global giant is spiritual darkness.
2. The second giant is the lack of servant leaders around the world.
3. The third giant is poverty.
4. The fourth giant is disease.
5. The fifth giant is ignorance.

A spectacular picture of the pressing needs in this world. The article goes on to speak more in depth on the practical role the church needs to play in these needs. Take a moment to read Rick and Kay's full article Facing the World's Five Giants from pastors.com.

Tags:

• church
• worldview